Not All States Get The Same Version Of Girl Scout Cookies

Girl Scout Cookie season has blessedly hit full speed. It’s a magical, delicious time of year, one where you can stuff Samoas and Tagalongs and all types of Girl Scout Cookie flavors into your maw for the good of a great organization. Chances are you have hard opinions on your favorite. Whether you’re a proud member of Team Tagalong or the Samoa Squad, there’s something you should know: the types of Girl Scout Cookies you enjoy, and their names, are not the same from state to state.

Yes, your beloved Thin Mints are not the same nationwide. That’s because Girl Scout cookies are actually made by two different bakeries, ABC Bakers and Little Brownie Bakers (LBB), which have their own cookie recipes, cookie flavor names, and even cookie box design. Take a minute for this to sink in.

So what does that mean for you? First, the Girl Scout cookie flavors you’ve grown up knowing and loving aren’t the only ones. Basically, you’ve spent your whole life in the Samoas squad, not even realizing that millions of other Girl Scout cookie enthusiasts were chowing down on Caramel deLites. It’s not just Samoas, either — almost every flavor of Girl Scout Cookie has a bizarro doppelganger from the other bakery, and which cookies you are familiar with appears to be based entirely on where you live, as the local Girl Scouts get to decide which bakers’ cookies they will be selling.

In 2017, the Los Angeles Times published a great interactive map of the cookie differences by region. Here is a side-by-side comparison of the bakeries’ different types of Girl Scout Cookies, how the flavors differ, and a list of which states get which varieties.

Thin Mints

The Girl Scouts’ most popular flavor of cookie is made by both bakeries, but there are subtle differences between the two. ABC Bakers make their cookies crunchier and place more of an emphasis on the mint taste than the chocolate, while Little Brownie Bakers include a rich, smooth chocolate coating on their cookies. Their Thin Mints also have a peppermint flavor, as opposed to the mint flavor from ABC Bakers.

Samoas (LBB) vs. Caramel deLites (ABC)

These flavors of Girl Scout cookies are pretty similar, but there a few key differences. Samoas are the more flavorful of the two, using a dark chocolate coating and a heavy caramel layer along with more toasted coconut. While Samoas put most of the emphasis on the toppings, Caramel deLites use them as a complement for the cookie. They include a milkier chocolate than Samoas and a light vanilla flavor.

S’mores Cookies

Despite having the same name, the two S’mores flavors of Girl Scout cookies are entirely different in terms of taste and appearance. ABC Bakers’ S’mores put a chocolate coating around a graham cracker and a layer of marshmallow flavoring. Little Brownie Bakers’ S’mores look more like a traditional, sandwich-style s’more, placing a frosting and fudge layer between two mini graham crackers.

Tagalongs (LBB) vs. Peanut Butter Patties (ABC)

These two Girl Scout Cookie Flavors have almost no differences, as they both taste and look practically identical. The only real distinction is that the Tagalongs have more layers of peanut butter inside their chocolate coating, while Peanut Butter Patties have a vanilla layer to complement the peanut butter filling. Tagalongs, obviously, have a way better name.

Do-si-dos (LBB) vs. Peanut Butter Sandwich (ABC)

Little Brownie Bakers’ Do-si-dos are all about the peanut butter flavor. They include thicker layers of peanut butter and are crunchier and more buttery than Peanut Butter Sandwiches, which have a more “well-rounded” flavor.

Trefoils (LBB) vs. Shortbread (ABC)

These kinds of Girl Scout Cookies are almost exactly the same. Shortbread cookies are slightly sweeter, while Trefoils taste more buttery, but in all honesty, you probably won’t really notice the difference.

Savannah Smiles (LBB) vs. Lemonades (ABC)

Savannah Smiles are crisp, lemon-flavored cookies coated in powdered sugar, while Lemonades are Shortbread cookies with a lemon-flavored filling. In most cases, the Little Brownie Bakers and ABC Bakers cookies have similar nutritional values, but a comparison of these two shows that Lemonades are significantly less healthy than Savannah Smiles. Each Lemonade contains more than twice the calories, fat, and sugar than a Savannah Smile.

Trios (ABC)

These gluten-free chocolate chip peanut butter cookies from ABC Bakers currently have no equivalent from Little Brownie Bakers.

Thanks-A-Lot (ABC)

Once again, the Shortbread is used to create another cookie. This time, it has a light fudge flavor at the bottom. Little Brownie Bakers does not make any version of this cookie.

Toffeetastic (LBB)

As the name suggests, these are mini cookies with crunchy toffee bites baked in. ABC Bakers does not have any version of this cookie. Bonus: They are gluten-free.

What states do the Little Brownie Bakers serve?

• Washington
• Oregon
• Idaho
• Montana
• Wyoming
• North Dakota
• South Dakota
• Colorado
• Utah
• Arizona
• Illinois
• Arkansas
• Georgia
• Mississippi
• Ohio
• Alaska
• Hawaii
• New Hampshire
• Vermont
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• West Virginia
• Tennessee
• Washington D.C.

What states do the ABC Bakers serve?

• Nebraska
• Kansas
• Maine
• Rhode Island
• New Jersey

What states do both bakers serve?

• California
• Nevada
• New Mexico
• Texas
• Oklahoma
• Alabama
• Florida
• North Carolina
• South Carolina
• Minnesota
• Michigan
• Indiana
• Kentucky
• Massachusetts
• Missouri
• Iowa
• Pennsylvania
• Maryland
• Virginia
• Louisiana
• New York
• Wisconsin